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The Mouth of the Dark
"A wild trip that keeps you wondering what the hell is going on, it’s an amazing experience. It is highly entertaining read." - Sci-Fi & ScaryJayce’s twenty-year-old daughter Emory is missing, lost in a dark, dangerous realm called Shadow that exists alongside our own reality. An enigmatic woman named Nicola guides Jayce through this bizarre world, and together they search for Emory, facing deadly dog-eaters, crazed killers, homicidal sex toys, and – worst of all – a monstrous being known as the Harvest Man. But no matter what Shadow throws at him, Jayce won’t stop. He’ll do whatever it takes to find his daughter, even if it means becoming a worse monster than the things that are trying to stop him.FLAME TREE PRESS is the new fiction imprint of Flame Tree Publishing. Launching in 2018 the list brings together brilliant new authors and the more established; the award winners, and exciting, original voices.
201 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 6, 2018
24 people are currently reading
380 people want to read
About the author
Tim Waggoner
282 books756 followersTim Waggoner's first novel came out in 2001, and since then, he's published over sixty novels and eight collections of short stories. He writes original dark fantasy and horror, as well as media tie-ins. He's written tie-in fiction based on Supernatural, The X-Files, Alien, Doctor Who, Conan the Barbarian, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Grimm, and Transformers, among others, and he's written novelizations for films such as Ti West’s X-Trilogy, Halloween Kills, Terrifier 2 and 3, and Resident Evil: The Final Chapter. He’s also the author of the award-winning guide to horror Writing in the Dark. He’s a four-time winner of the Bram Stoker Award, a one-time winner of the Scribe Award, and he’s been a two-time finalist for the Shirley Jackson Award and a one-time finalist for the Splatterpunk Award. He’s also a full-time tenured professor who teaches creative writing and composition at Sinclair College in Dayton, Ohio.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 94 reviews
September 10, 2018
Where does one start with a crazy book like this one? I honestly don’t know where to begin so I’ll just start typing and see what happens.
I read this book with a group of blogging buddies and the main theme of our chat seemed to be WTF. Some of us were horrified, some maybe scandalized but I think there were a few who were a little tantalized though they’ll probably never admit it, haha.
At any rate, this is a story about a man named Jayce who realizes his grown daughter has gone missing. He makes it his mission to find her or at least to find out what happened to her. He’s sure something nefarious is up and boy is he ever right. He finds a strange otherworld filled with bizarre sex toys and malformed people and a scary being called The Harvest Man. He isn’t at all prepared for all of the weirdness that assaults him but he takes the hits as they come in a stumbling, hapless sort of way and doesn’t run screaming the other way as most other sane people would do. He heads straight into the madness and grossness and batshit craziness.
I enjoyed this book for its unpredictable over the top strangeness. It didn’t scare me but it’s not really that kind of book. I loved that it wasn’t afraid to peek into the dark, twisted corners and slam your face into them. That’s a fun time for me. This isn’t a book where you’re going to fall in love or even feel much compassion for the characters. They’re not assholes but there isn’t a lot to like about them either. It’s the storyline that carries you along as the characters are put into one bizarre situation after another. There are a lot of sexual hijinks in this one featuring otherworldly sex toys. I thought that was a nice bonus but be warned if you’re not into reading about weird sex because there’s quite a bit of it here. Also, the main dude has some major mommy issues (which were expertly explained near the end) and some weird thoughts about his daughter and her sexuality that made me feel pretty uncomfortable in a bad way while reading. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying he’s a pedophile but he sure does have some pervy thoughts that I think most dads would scrub from their brains as soon as they hit. This guy sits and stews in them for too long.
The Mouth of the Dark was an imaginative, enjoyable, super pervy story whose pages flew. If you dig weird imagery, some unforgettable sex toys, perfectly placed gore, lots of gross little surprises, gruesome descriptions, dark humor and a finale that wraps everything together you’ll want to read this crazy book. If you don’t like those things, well, you probably wouldn’t be reading my review anyway.
My favorite line:
“I’m sorry you got a surprise tentacle job from the Pink Devil.”
And that’s all I’m saying about that!
I read this book with a group of blogging buddies and the main theme of our chat seemed to be WTF. Some of us were horrified, some maybe scandalized but I think there were a few who were a little tantalized though they’ll probably never admit it, haha.
At any rate, this is a story about a man named Jayce who realizes his grown daughter has gone missing. He makes it his mission to find her or at least to find out what happened to her. He’s sure something nefarious is up and boy is he ever right. He finds a strange otherworld filled with bizarre sex toys and malformed people and a scary being called The Harvest Man. He isn’t at all prepared for all of the weirdness that assaults him but he takes the hits as they come in a stumbling, hapless sort of way and doesn’t run screaming the other way as most other sane people would do. He heads straight into the madness and grossness and batshit craziness.
I enjoyed this book for its unpredictable over the top strangeness. It didn’t scare me but it’s not really that kind of book. I loved that it wasn’t afraid to peek into the dark, twisted corners and slam your face into them. That’s a fun time for me. This isn’t a book where you’re going to fall in love or even feel much compassion for the characters. They’re not assholes but there isn’t a lot to like about them either. It’s the storyline that carries you along as the characters are put into one bizarre situation after another. There are a lot of sexual hijinks in this one featuring otherworldly sex toys. I thought that was a nice bonus but be warned if you’re not into reading about weird sex because there’s quite a bit of it here. Also, the main dude has some major mommy issues (which were expertly explained near the end) and some weird thoughts about his daughter and her sexuality that made me feel pretty uncomfortable in a bad way while reading. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying he’s a pedophile but he sure does have some pervy thoughts that I think most dads would scrub from their brains as soon as they hit. This guy sits and stews in them for too long.
The Mouth of the Dark was an imaginative, enjoyable, super pervy story whose pages flew. If you dig weird imagery, some unforgettable sex toys, perfectly placed gore, lots of gross little surprises, gruesome descriptions, dark humor and a finale that wraps everything together you’ll want to read this crazy book. If you don’t like those things, well, you probably wouldn’t be reading my review anyway.
My favorite line:
“I’m sorry you got a surprise tentacle job from the Pink Devil.”
And that’s all I’m saying about that!
July 28, 2022
This is a good horror novel, with some bizzarro elements and some borderline extreme graphic sex and violence content and a bit of Kafka and Lovecraft for seasoning. It starts as a fairly typical story of a man searching for his missing daughter but surprised me a couple of times as it went into unexpected directions. It's not a scary book but is an intriguing one. You can pick your friends but not your family.
Want to read
July 19, 2018This Is an advanced reading copy uncorrected proof of the book and is signed by Tim Waggoner.
November 24, 2020
My oh my, this book is fucking strange and I absolutely LOVED it. The prologue literally had me thinking WTF?! and I was instantly hooked. It just heads straight into wild and weird and batshit crazy territory and it never lets up, just constantly battering you with strangeness and otherworldly sex toys. Yes, you heard that right and I promise it’s as weird and entertaining as it sounds! Waggoner does not shy away from exploring some dark and twisted ideas and I am 100% here for it. This book is unpredictable and over the top and incredibly bizarre and any horror fan who likes to be weirded out should DEFINITELY pick this up, you won’t regret it!
August 9, 2018
Let's cut right to the quick - The Mouth of the Dark is weird. Seriously weird. Like bug-fuck, batshit crazy weird. Tim Waggoner revels in weirdness here, revealing new layers of oddities and arcane horrors on nearly every page. Yes, it keeps the book moving, which is exactly what you want in a narrative whose timespan is so firmly compressed (the events of The Mouth of the Dark take place within about 24-48 hours or so), but hot damn is it ever weird.
Weird isn't a bad thing, though, and it's one of the central selling points behind The Mouth of the Dark. On its surface, it's about a man searching for his missing daughter. As these types of stories often require, the father takes a trip down a wickedly dark rabbit hole and uncovers a secret world, in this case Shadow. Existing alongside our own daily rigamarole, only a certain special few can see Shadow and the peculiar life lurking within. There's green-gloved men who eat paper covered in hot sauce, couples who eat dogs, and a horrifying entity called The Harvest Man. The Harvest Man has breath that can kill - breathe out, and a black cloud envelops his victim. Breathe back in, and the victim turns to ash. He's like a wickedly fucked up Lamaze teacher with a case of halitosis cranked to 11. Oh, and there's also killer sex toys that sprout tentacles to help users rub one out while asphyxiating them.
Jayce discovers all these things in pretty short order, and Waggoner continually assaults him and us readers with new information and odd-ball scenarios on the regular. Discovery is the name of the game here, and in searching for the absent Emory, Jayce keeps finding more and more dark corners to peek into and only barely survive. Some of these corners involve the secrets of Shadow, while others pertain to his own buried and forgotten past, and nearly every single one of them posits some intriguing bit of fantastical horror. Others are a bit more personal, and frankly Jayce is kind of a creeper when all is said and done, what with his strangely frequent musings on his daughter's sex life and what potential kinks she may get off on. This struck an odd, disquieting note with me. Although Jayce isn't incestuous, he simply seems to let his mind wander down some off-beat tracks and Waggoner is content to let it flow, eschewing any darker aspects between father and daughter, thank goodness.
The Mouth of the Dark largely succeeds on the merits of its strangeness. I will admit I'm not a fan of fantasy lit, and by extension a lot of urban fantasy, which runs wild here in more horrifying and perverse forms. Waggoner throws readers directly into the deep-end, right alongside Jayce, and it takes some time to get oriented to the parallel Shadow reality running alongside our own. Frankly, I struggled quite a bit to suspend my disbelief early on, but as I wised up to Waggoner's game I was better able to appreciate the story. It didn't quite satisfy me, particularly the resolution, which felt like a rush to the exit, but it didn't disappoint either. Waggoner has one hell of an imagination, and at times The Mouth of the Dark feels like an episode of Fringe if Clive Barker had gotten his hands on the screenplay. I definitely can't complain about that, and any story that features homicidal sex toys will always be worth a read as far as I'm concerned.
[Note: I received an advance reading copy of The Mouth of the Dark from the publisher, Flame Tree Press.]
Weird isn't a bad thing, though, and it's one of the central selling points behind The Mouth of the Dark. On its surface, it's about a man searching for his missing daughter. As these types of stories often require, the father takes a trip down a wickedly dark rabbit hole and uncovers a secret world, in this case Shadow. Existing alongside our own daily rigamarole, only a certain special few can see Shadow and the peculiar life lurking within. There's green-gloved men who eat paper covered in hot sauce, couples who eat dogs, and a horrifying entity called The Harvest Man. The Harvest Man has breath that can kill - breathe out, and a black cloud envelops his victim. Breathe back in, and the victim turns to ash. He's like a wickedly fucked up Lamaze teacher with a case of halitosis cranked to 11. Oh, and there's also killer sex toys that sprout tentacles to help users rub one out while asphyxiating them.
Jayce discovers all these things in pretty short order, and Waggoner continually assaults him and us readers with new information and odd-ball scenarios on the regular. Discovery is the name of the game here, and in searching for the absent Emory, Jayce keeps finding more and more dark corners to peek into and only barely survive. Some of these corners involve the secrets of Shadow, while others pertain to his own buried and forgotten past, and nearly every single one of them posits some intriguing bit of fantastical horror. Others are a bit more personal, and frankly Jayce is kind of a creeper when all is said and done, what with his strangely frequent musings on his daughter's sex life and what potential kinks she may get off on. This struck an odd, disquieting note with me. Although Jayce isn't incestuous, he simply seems to let his mind wander down some off-beat tracks and Waggoner is content to let it flow, eschewing any darker aspects between father and daughter, thank goodness.
The Mouth of the Dark largely succeeds on the merits of its strangeness. I will admit I'm not a fan of fantasy lit, and by extension a lot of urban fantasy, which runs wild here in more horrifying and perverse forms. Waggoner throws readers directly into the deep-end, right alongside Jayce, and it takes some time to get oriented to the parallel Shadow reality running alongside our own. Frankly, I struggled quite a bit to suspend my disbelief early on, but as I wised up to Waggoner's game I was better able to appreciate the story. It didn't quite satisfy me, particularly the resolution, which felt like a rush to the exit, but it didn't disappoint either. Waggoner has one hell of an imagination, and at times The Mouth of the Dark feels like an episode of Fringe if Clive Barker had gotten his hands on the screenplay. I definitely can't complain about that, and any story that features homicidal sex toys will always be worth a read as far as I'm concerned.
[Note: I received an advance reading copy of The Mouth of the Dark from the publisher, Flame Tree Press.]
September 29, 2018
I greatly enjoyed this book by Tim Waggoner. A sort of dark fantasy / body horror / erotica hybrid that made me think of early Clive Barker. A quick, fascinating, and delightfully sinful read that I'd recommend for anyone wanting strong prose, disturbing imagery, and a fun, fast-moving plot line. Tim's one of the best in the business for a reason. Recommended.
Read
September 6, 2018Review to come. In the meantime...
I'm honestly not entirely sure what I think of this one as yet.
From the start, it was very different and pushed a lot of boundaries, often stepping across the line into uncomfortable moments. So often books shy away from actually delving into horrific things, so that was... "nice"?
However, there were a couple of things that didn't make proper sense, and there was that one big, underlying thing that led to the twist. Something I worked out within the first 20-30% of the book, but which the main character was being incredibly and annoyingly clueless about. So that was frustrating and meant the book didn't really keep me on my toes as it had promised with its no-holds-barred opening.
I also didn't find I connected with any of the characters, and the wording was sometimes a little odd, shifting from showing into telling, and the recovered memories were written in present tense, while the "current" timeline was in past tense.
As I said, still thinking about how I feel, but maybe 2.5/5?
-- PRE-REVIEW --
Flame Tree Press are doing a launch promotion and sent me a parcel which included this book, plus:
Creature
The Siren and The Specter
Thirteen Days By Sunset Beach
The Sky Woman
The Bad Neighbour
If you're interested in finding out more, you can sign up for updates here:
https://www.flametreepress.com/?utm_c...
Also, as someone who adores proof copies and has a dedicated shelf for them, I love the thought that went into the design of these, with all the important info on the opening pages, and spines that look particularly awesome and eye-catching when shelved together (they look like an actual collection, you guys!).
I'm honestly not entirely sure what I think of this one as yet.
From the start, it was very different and pushed a lot of boundaries, often stepping across the line into uncomfortable moments. So often books shy away from actually delving into horrific things, so that was... "nice"?
However, there were a couple of things that didn't make proper sense, and there was that one big, underlying thing that led to the twist. Something I worked out within the first 20-30% of the book, but which the main character was being incredibly and annoyingly clueless about. So that was frustrating and meant the book didn't really keep me on my toes as it had promised with its no-holds-barred opening.
I also didn't find I connected with any of the characters, and the wording was sometimes a little odd, shifting from showing into telling, and the recovered memories were written in present tense, while the "current" timeline was in past tense.
As I said, still thinking about how I feel, but maybe 2.5/5?
-- PRE-REVIEW --
Flame Tree Press are doing a launch promotion and sent me a parcel which included this book, plus:
Creature
The Siren and The Specter
Thirteen Days By Sunset Beach
The Sky Woman
The Bad Neighbour
If you're interested in finding out more, you can sign up for updates here:
https://www.flametreepress.com/?utm_c...
Also, as someone who adores proof copies and has a dedicated shelf for them, I love the thought that went into the design of these, with all the important info on the opening pages, and spines that look particularly awesome and eye-catching when shelved together (they look like an actual collection, you guys!).
September 3, 2018
I don't even know where to start with the Mouth of the Dark. This book probably wins the award for largest amount of times I said "what the fuck" while reading. This book is WEIRD. It's way more than your average horror weird, and there's a lot to take in here.
The Mouth of the Dark has such an intriguing opening, and it hooked me immediately. I was excited to read the rest of the book, and figure out what the hell was going on.
Different parts of the book reminded me of different books / shows I've loved. If you are looking for something very strange (and so gross) & enjoyed things like Glimpse, NOS4A2, The Dark Tower, and Fringe, it's probably worth it to pick up The Mouth of the Dark. I wouldn't say it's directly related to any of those, but if you enjoy the alternate universes format, you might like this one as well.
This book is also pretty amusing, but just know that there's some over-the-top sex-related stuff. It's a pretty large portion of the book, and some of it is definitely unsettling.
I feel like the ending fell a little flat after so much craziness, but everything still wrapped up pretty well. I enjoyed this book overall, and would read more from this author.
The Mouth of the Dark has such an intriguing opening, and it hooked me immediately. I was excited to read the rest of the book, and figure out what the hell was going on.
Different parts of the book reminded me of different books / shows I've loved. If you are looking for something very strange (and so gross) & enjoyed things like Glimpse, NOS4A2, The Dark Tower, and Fringe, it's probably worth it to pick up The Mouth of the Dark. I wouldn't say it's directly related to any of those, but if you enjoy the alternate universes format, you might like this one as well.
This book is also pretty amusing, but just know that there's some over-the-top sex-related stuff. It's a pretty large portion of the book, and some of it is definitely unsettling.
I feel like the ending fell a little flat after so much craziness, but everything still wrapped up pretty well. I enjoyed this book overall, and would read more from this author.
August 29, 2018
Review: THE MOUTH OF THE DARK by Tim Waggoner
I loved this scary horror novel! In Oakmont, the underworld isn't organized crime. Instead, it's an extensive "region" called Shadow, a sort of shifting portal to that (and those) which lie Beyond. Open, to an extent, to "normals," Shadow magnetizes humans who possess "the Eye," and continued exposure results in "changes." Jayce can't remember a frightening incident when he was thirteen, nor can he account for the subsequent missing time. But now that his adult daughter may be missing, he discovers he does have "the Eye," and apparently daughter Emory inherited it. So, determined to locate and rescue her, Jayce starts hunting throughout shadow. THE MOUTH OF THE DARK is an exquisitely terrifying story.
I loved this scary horror novel! In Oakmont, the underworld isn't organized crime. Instead, it's an extensive "region" called Shadow, a sort of shifting portal to that (and those) which lie Beyond. Open, to an extent, to "normals," Shadow magnetizes humans who possess "the Eye," and continued exposure results in "changes." Jayce can't remember a frightening incident when he was thirteen, nor can he account for the subsequent missing time. But now that his adult daughter may be missing, he discovers he does have "the Eye," and apparently daughter Emory inherited it. So, determined to locate and rescue her, Jayce starts hunting throughout shadow. THE MOUTH OF THE DARK is an exquisitely terrifying story.
September 6, 2018
I know that I've heard of Tim Waggoner before and I'm pretty sure I've read SOMETHING he wrote years ago but I've searched my mind and my records and can't come up with anything. However, I knew just by looking at this cover that this is a book I wanted to read.
Jayce is looking for his daughter Emory. She has disappeared and it is believed that she has become lost in the "Shadow" - a very unique yet very dangerous realm. Jayce will do whatever is necessary to find Emory, even if it means unlocking memories of his childhood he has suppressed for years.
I have to admit that "The Mouth of the Dark" is a very different horror story. In fact, the word I can think of which might best describe it is weird. I mean, come on, we have homicidal sex toys (The Pink Devil), naked gladiator type fights to the death and a character known only as The Harvest Man. The book alternates between present day and flashbacks of Jayce's childhood as he learns of his true connection to the Shadow.
If you decide to pick this book up, all I can say is prepare for a hell of a ride. While I didn't find it very scary per se, it was gross and disgusting yet I couldn't put it down. Even though Jayce kind of creeped me out some - the man was WAY too obsessed with is daughter's sex life, I desperately wanted him to find his daughter and have a happily ever after. Silly me, expecting that from a horror story!
I really can't say much more about this book. I think it's kind of best to go in blindly, but know that you are going to meet some VERY odd characters and read about some EXTREMELY disturbing practices.
Jayce is looking for his daughter Emory. She has disappeared and it is believed that she has become lost in the "Shadow" - a very unique yet very dangerous realm. Jayce will do whatever is necessary to find Emory, even if it means unlocking memories of his childhood he has suppressed for years.
I have to admit that "The Mouth of the Dark" is a very different horror story. In fact, the word I can think of which might best describe it is weird. I mean, come on, we have homicidal sex toys (The Pink Devil), naked gladiator type fights to the death and a character known only as The Harvest Man. The book alternates between present day and flashbacks of Jayce's childhood as he learns of his true connection to the Shadow.
If you decide to pick this book up, all I can say is prepare for a hell of a ride. While I didn't find it very scary per se, it was gross and disgusting yet I couldn't put it down. Even though Jayce kind of creeped me out some - the man was WAY too obsessed with is daughter's sex life, I desperately wanted him to find his daughter and have a happily ever after. Silly me, expecting that from a horror story!
I really can't say much more about this book. I think it's kind of best to go in blindly, but know that you are going to meet some VERY odd characters and read about some EXTREMELY disturbing practices.
September 13, 2022
I really wanted to like this one. I really did.
I picked it up at the same time as They Kill, Waggoner's other book printed through Flame Tree Publishing. And there was admittedly a lot to like about this one. But I can't do it. I can't justify the roughly nine hours I spent reading this one. It's such a wasted opportunity.
From the get-go, The Mouth of the Dark does a lot of things right. The plot is a lot more straightforward, as opposed to They Kill's schlocky mess of a narrative. Father's daughter goes missing, father looks for daughter, father gets pulled into strange, surreal horror dimension where monsters live. The plot follows this structure with setpieces set in the world of Shadow to string things together. So far, so good.
The horror setpieces that arise are decent in design and some of them are thoroughly vile. The scene in the zoo with the Canker Worms is gruesomely described, thoroughly horrifying and I loved Waggoner for how visceral and real if felt. Elements of Jace's run-in with the Pink Devil was surprisingly shocking. The flashback scene with Emory's scene with the Sanguine Inseminis (Blood Inseminators...make of that what you will) was nausea-inducing and surreal.
And speaking of the flashbacks, I actually thought they were mostly well done. The use of present tense makes them feel in-the-moment and separates them from the main plot. The use of short sentences makes them feel punchy.
Sidenote to Tim Waggoner:
Seriously, this book is massively horny. Nearly every horror setpiece is based in some sort of sexual deviancy. And if people aren't using sex is horrifying ways, they're having sex. It's not a good or bad thing to me. More a case of your mileage may vary.
So if the plot flows better, the setpieces are suitably nasty and the flashbacks work, that should make it a slam dunk right?
For starters, everything about this book feels like a story paid by the word. There is SO MUCH superfluous text riddled throughout this story that it dilutes nearly all the goodwill the premise and setpieces build up. This isn't a case of purple prose, so much as it is a case of taking simple sentences and wording them in the most needless way possible.
With this in mind, the pacing is dogshit. The first half of the book is just spent watching Jace wander around the normal world, get into some weird shit before he finally travels with Nicolla into the world of Shadow. At this point, the book's pacing gets better, if only because the setpieces move along at a brisk pace, but that doesn't excuse the excessive wordage that is STILL present throughout. Waggoner tells, not shows a lot of the time, with characters like Ivory explaining a lot of the mechanics of Shadow instead of showing it. It's so fucking frustrating because there is so much creativity buried in here, but it's swamped by words, words, WORDS!
The characters are barebones. Jace is fine but a bit bland, focus on Emory's sex life notwithstanding. There is precedent for this, but he's mainly there to move the plot along and his relationship with Emory never felt organic because - say it with me - the emotional factor gets bogged down by excessive wordage. Nicolla again is barebones and functions mostly as a mouthpiece for Shadow and its mechanics. She has a backstory, but it gets spelled out for us, so no bonus points there. Ohio Pig - a psycho Shadow hunter - had potential but never really rises about being a bloodthirsty psycho. And Ivory mainly functions as a world info-dump.
The ending is fine, but there's a difference between foreshadowing and giving the reader too much and Waggoner falls into the latter here. Seriously, if you can't sus out the ending at least a little way into Shadow, then you need to see a proctologist, because your head and your arse have switched places.
Your problem is obvious.
It's funny. I didn't think I'd have much to say about either They Kill or The Mouth of the Dark. But both of them brought something out in me. I think it's my general frustration with Tim Waggoner's work. I've read a decent chunk of his work now - his Necropolis series, Dream Watch series, They Kill and The Mouth of the Dark and I think I've sussed out my issue with his stories. He's intensely creative with a lot to like, but he sucks at sticking the landing. His characters are usually bland to basic, his writing leans way too heavily into telling and not showing and his narratives are just kind of there to move the setpieces along.
Out of They Kill and The Mouth of the Dark, I have to give They Kill more credit. For all its many, MANY faults, it least it was engaging all the way through. It was shlock but it was fun shlock. The Mouth of the Dark is too drawn-out, too lazily written and too obvious in its execution to reach that same level of fine.
If you need options, They Kill all the way.
I picked it up at the same time as They Kill, Waggoner's other book printed through Flame Tree Publishing. And there was admittedly a lot to like about this one. But I can't do it. I can't justify the roughly nine hours I spent reading this one. It's such a wasted opportunity.
From the get-go, The Mouth of the Dark does a lot of things right. The plot is a lot more straightforward, as opposed to They Kill's schlocky mess of a narrative. Father's daughter goes missing, father looks for daughter, father gets pulled into strange, surreal horror dimension where monsters live. The plot follows this structure with setpieces set in the world of Shadow to string things together. So far, so good.
The horror setpieces that arise are decent in design and some of them are thoroughly vile. The scene in the zoo with the Canker Worms is gruesomely described, thoroughly horrifying and I loved Waggoner for how visceral and real if felt. Elements of Jace's run-in with the Pink Devil was surprisingly shocking. The flashback scene with Emory's scene with the Sanguine Inseminis (Blood Inseminators...make of that what you will) was nausea-inducing and surreal.
And speaking of the flashbacks, I actually thought they were mostly well done. The use of present tense makes them feel in-the-moment and separates them from the main plot. The use of short sentences makes them feel punchy.
Sidenote to Tim Waggoner:
Seriously, this book is massively horny. Nearly every horror setpiece is based in some sort of sexual deviancy. And if people aren't using sex is horrifying ways, they're having sex. It's not a good or bad thing to me. More a case of your mileage may vary.
So if the plot flows better, the setpieces are suitably nasty and the flashbacks work, that should make it a slam dunk right?
For starters, everything about this book feels like a story paid by the word. There is SO MUCH superfluous text riddled throughout this story that it dilutes nearly all the goodwill the premise and setpieces build up. This isn't a case of purple prose, so much as it is a case of taking simple sentences and wording them in the most needless way possible.
With this in mind, the pacing is dogshit. The first half of the book is just spent watching Jace wander around the normal world, get into some weird shit before he finally travels with Nicolla into the world of Shadow. At this point, the book's pacing gets better, if only because the setpieces move along at a brisk pace, but that doesn't excuse the excessive wordage that is STILL present throughout. Waggoner tells, not shows a lot of the time, with characters like Ivory explaining a lot of the mechanics of Shadow instead of showing it. It's so fucking frustrating because there is so much creativity buried in here, but it's swamped by words, words, WORDS!
The characters are barebones. Jace is fine but a bit bland, focus on Emory's sex life notwithstanding. There is precedent for this, but he's mainly there to move the plot along and his relationship with Emory never felt organic because - say it with me - the emotional factor gets bogged down by excessive wordage. Nicolla again is barebones and functions mostly as a mouthpiece for Shadow and its mechanics. She has a backstory, but it gets spelled out for us, so no bonus points there. Ohio Pig - a psycho Shadow hunter - had potential but never really rises about being a bloodthirsty psycho. And Ivory mainly functions as a world info-dump.
The ending is fine, but there's a difference between foreshadowing and giving the reader too much and Waggoner falls into the latter here. Seriously, if you can't sus out the ending at least a little way into Shadow, then you need to see a proctologist, because your head and your arse have switched places.
Your problem is obvious.
It's funny. I didn't think I'd have much to say about either They Kill or The Mouth of the Dark. But both of them brought something out in me. I think it's my general frustration with Tim Waggoner's work. I've read a decent chunk of his work now - his Necropolis series, Dream Watch series, They Kill and The Mouth of the Dark and I think I've sussed out my issue with his stories. He's intensely creative with a lot to like, but he sucks at sticking the landing. His characters are usually bland to basic, his writing leans way too heavily into telling and not showing and his narratives are just kind of there to move the setpieces along.
Out of They Kill and The Mouth of the Dark, I have to give They Kill more credit. For all its many, MANY faults, it least it was engaging all the way through. It was shlock but it was fun shlock. The Mouth of the Dark is too drawn-out, too lazily written and too obvious in its execution to reach that same level of fine.
If you need options, They Kill all the way.
March 26, 2019
Review copy
This is my sixth and final review of the initial batch of releases from Flame Tree Press. The Bad Neighbor by David Tallerman, Creature by Hunter Shea, Thirteen Days at Sunset Beach by Ramsey Campbell, The Sky Woman: From Ringworlds to Earth, an Epic Struggle of Love and Survival by J.D. Moyer, The Siren and the Specter by Jonathan Janz, and now The Mouth of the Dark by Tim Waggoner. A terrific mix of genre reads from a publisher showing great promise.
On with today's review...
Jayce Lewis' daughter Emily has gone missing and Jayce is doing all he can to find her. The more he seeks the more he learns about her life and his own. From the strange concoctions sold at the Crazyqwik, to the dog-eaters who think he's a meat thief, to the Harvest Man, and just wait until you encounter the pink devil. It's all like his mother told him time and again...
"The world is a dangerous place."
At its heart, The Mouth of the Dark is about The Shadowers—people who can see—and interact with the darker aspects of existence.
I can always count on Waggoner to find the weird in a story and there's plenty of that in The Mouth of the Dark. As is the case with most of his original work. Tim has an original voice in the horror community and is a genuine wordsmith...
"Their ages ranged from early twenties to a foot-and-a-half in the grave."
The book is filled with truly horrible images, yet I found myself smiling more often than not. Sex, violence, and an all-around crazy good time.
Totally recommended.
The Mouth of the Dark is published by Flame Tree Press and is available in all formats.
From the author's bio - Tim Waggoner's first novel came out in 2001 Since then he's published over forty novels and five collections of short stories. He writes original fantasy and horror, as well as media tie-ins. He's won the Bram Stoker Award, been a finalist for the Shirley Jackson Award and the Scribe Award. In addition to writing, Tim is also a full-time tenured professor who teaches creative writing and composition at Sinclair College.
This is my sixth and final review of the initial batch of releases from Flame Tree Press. The Bad Neighbor by David Tallerman, Creature by Hunter Shea, Thirteen Days at Sunset Beach by Ramsey Campbell, The Sky Woman: From Ringworlds to Earth, an Epic Struggle of Love and Survival by J.D. Moyer, The Siren and the Specter by Jonathan Janz, and now The Mouth of the Dark by Tim Waggoner. A terrific mix of genre reads from a publisher showing great promise.
On with today's review...
Jayce Lewis' daughter Emily has gone missing and Jayce is doing all he can to find her. The more he seeks the more he learns about her life and his own. From the strange concoctions sold at the Crazyqwik, to the dog-eaters who think he's a meat thief, to the Harvest Man, and just wait until you encounter the pink devil. It's all like his mother told him time and again...
"The world is a dangerous place."
At its heart, The Mouth of the Dark is about The Shadowers—people who can see—and interact with the darker aspects of existence.
I can always count on Waggoner to find the weird in a story and there's plenty of that in The Mouth of the Dark. As is the case with most of his original work. Tim has an original voice in the horror community and is a genuine wordsmith...
"Their ages ranged from early twenties to a foot-and-a-half in the grave."
The book is filled with truly horrible images, yet I found myself smiling more often than not. Sex, violence, and an all-around crazy good time.
Totally recommended.
The Mouth of the Dark is published by Flame Tree Press and is available in all formats.
From the author's bio - Tim Waggoner's first novel came out in 2001 Since then he's published over forty novels and five collections of short stories. He writes original fantasy and horror, as well as media tie-ins. He's won the Bram Stoker Award, been a finalist for the Shirley Jackson Award and the Scribe Award. In addition to writing, Tim is also a full-time tenured professor who teaches creative writing and composition at Sinclair College.
September 24, 2018
Egads. That best describes my thoughts on this one. I knew from the description it was going to be out there, but this was such a strange read.
It all begins with a man searching for his daughter. That’s the only thing normal about this story. It quickly turns into a bizarre story of finding himself, plunging him into a strange world of demonic sex toys (AKA: Pink Demon) and just plain weird experiences.
Now, I’m not that squeamish. I can take gore, hideous death scenes and terrifying paranormal or supernatural elements. The author took me beyond that into a strange and shocking experience with character’s I struggled to warm up to. That would normally make this a three star read for me as long as the writing was good. It was good. Even the parts that made me flinch. What made it four stars for me was the fact I couldn’t stop reading it. I didn’t even skim past the parts that turned my stomach, scenes I shuddered to picture. I was compelled, held captive until I finished it.
As for the ending. Well, it was an interesting one.
Did I enjoy it? Yes. Even though it made me squirm, my curiosity wouldn’t let me stop reading it. Would I recommend it? Yes. To those who enjoy the darker side in their reading experience.
I received a complimentary copy. My review is voluntarily given.
It all begins with a man searching for his daughter. That’s the only thing normal about this story. It quickly turns into a bizarre story of finding himself, plunging him into a strange world of demonic sex toys (AKA: Pink Demon) and just plain weird experiences.
Now, I’m not that squeamish. I can take gore, hideous death scenes and terrifying paranormal or supernatural elements. The author took me beyond that into a strange and shocking experience with character’s I struggled to warm up to. That would normally make this a three star read for me as long as the writing was good. It was good. Even the parts that made me flinch. What made it four stars for me was the fact I couldn’t stop reading it. I didn’t even skim past the parts that turned my stomach, scenes I shuddered to picture. I was compelled, held captive until I finished it.
As for the ending. Well, it was an interesting one.
Did I enjoy it? Yes. Even though it made me squirm, my curiosity wouldn’t let me stop reading it. Would I recommend it? Yes. To those who enjoy the darker side in their reading experience.
I received a complimentary copy. My review is voluntarily given.
August 26, 2018
Desperate to find his missing daughter, Jayce Lewis delves into the Cannery; a place of secrets and unnatural dangers; a shadowy part of Oakmont he didn't even know existed. Accompanied by a mysterious guide, he soon finds himself in over his head and surrounded by violence of the most perverted manner. Not only is a psychotic hunter on his trail, but the legendary Harvest Man seems not far behind.
(WARNING: This review contains minor spoilers.)
I received this book in exchange for an honest review. I thank Flame Tree Press for giving me the opportunity.
I’ve been sitting here thinking of just where to begin this review. You see, Waggoner introduced me to a very unique world, one in which I felt thrilled to be a part of, if only for a limited time. My love for the weird and bizarre once more resurfaced, and it seldom does due to how rarely I find myself experiencing surrealism in the genre. When it does come about, however, I enjoy it immensely, especially when the imaginative aspects are through the roof. There was a great deal that spurred me to keep going here, and I won’t lie, sometimes it was less to do with the story and more to do with what outlandish scene might come next. I wouldn’t necessarily consider that a bad thing; a book like this depends largely on building up its strangeness and taking it to new heights. The concept of Shadow was a memorable factor; a monstrous realm that bled into normal reality, whereupon freakish creatures resided. It was as if Shadow itself was a distortion of the real world; a deformity, or a glitch, much like the very abnormalities it caused those exposed to it.
Sex played a major role here, and whilst it was wildly entertaining, it also proved to be a little disquieting at times. Being a tale about, ultimately, the relationship of father and daughter, Jayce often found himself reflecting upon Emory’s erotic style of life. It wasn’t altogether out of the blue, considering the very intimate revelations during his search, but it didn’t exactly make his thoughts any less discomforting. In all, it was quite the situation; imagine a parent discovering all of your sexual escapades, including the very unconventional toy you use. Awkward, right? As for Jayce as a protagonist, he was a determined person, yet it was clear he was a stranger even to himself. I enjoyed the travels back into his history, as whilst he was getting to know himself, I was getting to know him as well.
As for Nicola, of whom played the role of companion to Jayce, I liked her, however her fate left me a little disappointed. I guess I expected more of a fleshed out conclusion to their coupling; it seemed to be over pretty quickly. The single character that stood out for me though was the long-lived Ivory. She was certainly depicted in a bad light, but she wasn’t a typical villain. I firmly believe her actions were doing a service to the unsuspecting populace, even if her methods were terribly ruthless. A definite highlight was Crimson Splendour, and what lay underneath it; a nightmarish playground that enthralled the deviant in me.
I really didn’t see the ending coming - it just seemed to come from nowhere and escalate from one to a thousand. I wouldn’t even consider it a happy ending either, but I guess it would depend wholly on your definition of happiness. It surprised me, without doubt, and it established itself as rather distinct. I mean, I can't honestly say I've never read a finale of that calibre before.
In conclusion: Perhaps suited more to the label of dark fantasy, this one focused on the creepily surreal side of fiction. I very much relished the weird and wonderful, and only experienced a few minor let-downs. I would love if Waggoner decided to make a series out of it, as he's crafted a world I would enthusiastically return to.
Notable Scene:
It appeared at first as if the man was going to do nothing more than walk, but then his mouth - which looked wrong, even from this distance - yawned open, and a dark cloud emerged, expanding as it moved toward the club's fleeing patrons. The darkness engulfed a dozen of those at the rear of the crowd, and then the screaming began.
© Red Lace 2018
Wordpress ~ Booklikes ~ Twitter
(WARNING: This review contains minor spoilers.)
I received this book in exchange for an honest review. I thank Flame Tree Press for giving me the opportunity.
I’ve been sitting here thinking of just where to begin this review. You see, Waggoner introduced me to a very unique world, one in which I felt thrilled to be a part of, if only for a limited time. My love for the weird and bizarre once more resurfaced, and it seldom does due to how rarely I find myself experiencing surrealism in the genre. When it does come about, however, I enjoy it immensely, especially when the imaginative aspects are through the roof. There was a great deal that spurred me to keep going here, and I won’t lie, sometimes it was less to do with the story and more to do with what outlandish scene might come next. I wouldn’t necessarily consider that a bad thing; a book like this depends largely on building up its strangeness and taking it to new heights. The concept of Shadow was a memorable factor; a monstrous realm that bled into normal reality, whereupon freakish creatures resided. It was as if Shadow itself was a distortion of the real world; a deformity, or a glitch, much like the very abnormalities it caused those exposed to it.
Sex played a major role here, and whilst it was wildly entertaining, it also proved to be a little disquieting at times. Being a tale about, ultimately, the relationship of father and daughter, Jayce often found himself reflecting upon Emory’s erotic style of life. It wasn’t altogether out of the blue, considering the very intimate revelations during his search, but it didn’t exactly make his thoughts any less discomforting. In all, it was quite the situation; imagine a parent discovering all of your sexual escapades, including the very unconventional toy you use. Awkward, right? As for Jayce as a protagonist, he was a determined person, yet it was clear he was a stranger even to himself. I enjoyed the travels back into his history, as whilst he was getting to know himself, I was getting to know him as well.
As for Nicola, of whom played the role of companion to Jayce, I liked her, however her fate left me a little disappointed. I guess I expected more of a fleshed out conclusion to their coupling; it seemed to be over pretty quickly. The single character that stood out for me though was the long-lived Ivory. She was certainly depicted in a bad light, but she wasn’t a typical villain. I firmly believe her actions were doing a service to the unsuspecting populace, even if her methods were terribly ruthless. A definite highlight was Crimson Splendour, and what lay underneath it; a nightmarish playground that enthralled the deviant in me.
I really didn’t see the ending coming - it just seemed to come from nowhere and escalate from one to a thousand. I wouldn’t even consider it a happy ending either, but I guess it would depend wholly on your definition of happiness. It surprised me, without doubt, and it established itself as rather distinct. I mean, I can't honestly say I've never read a finale of that calibre before.
In conclusion: Perhaps suited more to the label of dark fantasy, this one focused on the creepily surreal side of fiction. I very much relished the weird and wonderful, and only experienced a few minor let-downs. I would love if Waggoner decided to make a series out of it, as he's crafted a world I would enthusiastically return to.
Notable Scene:
It appeared at first as if the man was going to do nothing more than walk, but then his mouth - which looked wrong, even from this distance - yawned open, and a dark cloud emerged, expanding as it moved toward the club's fleeing patrons. The darkness engulfed a dozen of those at the rear of the crowd, and then the screaming began.
© Red Lace 2018
Wordpress ~ Booklikes ~ Twitter
August 9, 2018
The Mouth of the Dark is the second book by Tim Waggoner that I've read and, after completing it, I'm pretty convinced I'll like just about any of his work. Waggoner is imaginative and original, and The Mouth of the Dark takes readers to an entirely new world of monstrosities. It's easily one of the most fantastic books I've read this year.
Jayce Lewis's daughter has gone missing. No one's seen her and in pursuit of her whereabouts, Jayce stumbles upon a world known as Shadow. Shadow is a dangerous place where nightmares are reality and with the help of a woman named Nicola, Jayce quickly discovers finding out what happened to his daughter isn't going to be easy. The pair encounter several awesome creatures on their journey, some harmless and others not so much.
Nicola is a fairly likable character and I don't have a whole lot to say about her. Jayce, on the other hand, has serious mommy issues--which you'll see if you read the book. Though I didn't really enjoy the flashbacks, Waggoner does a great job of filling Jayce out. By the end of the book, you know him pretty well.
The plot is a bit slow, and this is perhaps because of the time Waggoner spends detailing Shadow. I'm okay with this, as it's an amazing ecosystem of horror. For the most part it is pretty straightforward, though the tenses do switch during the flashbacks. I found this to be mildly distracting, but overall it did not detract from the book.
The Mouth of the Dark is a great read and I highly recommend it to those who are into true horror. It is riddled with terror and depravity and there are some parts of the book that may make the squeamish uncomfortable. It's definitely a title I'm glad to have on my shelf.
I'd like to thank Flame Tree Press for providing me with a free copy for the purpose of unbiased review.
Jayce Lewis's daughter has gone missing. No one's seen her and in pursuit of her whereabouts, Jayce stumbles upon a world known as Shadow. Shadow is a dangerous place where nightmares are reality and with the help of a woman named Nicola, Jayce quickly discovers finding out what happened to his daughter isn't going to be easy. The pair encounter several awesome creatures on their journey, some harmless and others not so much.
Nicola is a fairly likable character and I don't have a whole lot to say about her. Jayce, on the other hand, has serious mommy issues--which you'll see if you read the book. Though I didn't really enjoy the flashbacks, Waggoner does a great job of filling Jayce out. By the end of the book, you know him pretty well.
The plot is a bit slow, and this is perhaps because of the time Waggoner spends detailing Shadow. I'm okay with this, as it's an amazing ecosystem of horror. For the most part it is pretty straightforward, though the tenses do switch during the flashbacks. I found this to be mildly distracting, but overall it did not detract from the book.
The Mouth of the Dark is a great read and I highly recommend it to those who are into true horror. It is riddled with terror and depravity and there are some parts of the book that may make the squeamish uncomfortable. It's definitely a title I'm glad to have on my shelf.
I'd like to thank Flame Tree Press for providing me with a free copy for the purpose of unbiased review.
September 10, 2018
I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.The nitty-gritty: Delightfully twisted and disturbing,
The Mouth of the Dark
is part
Tales from the Dark Side
, part
Poltergeist
, and completely bat shit crazy.
The launch of small publisher Flame Tree Press caught my attention last month when they were blasted all over the internet—good marketing, guys!—and I was curious enough to head over to NetGalley and request one of their titles. And I have to say I’m pretty impressed. The Mouth of the Dark is very well written and I blew through it in a couple of days. Waggoner’s story has an urban fantasy vibe at first, but it quickly turns to horror. (Is there such a genre as urban horror? If so, I’m calling it!) This story was strange , and if you read the reviews on Goodreads you’ll see that word (along with “weird”) pop up over and over again. But I have a thing for stories that don’t fit the norm, which is probably why “strange” doesn't really bother me.
Jayce Lewis’ daughter Emory has been missing for over three weeks, and even though she’s twenty years old and Jayce doesn’t see her that often, he knows something is wrong when she doesn’t return his calls. Since the police aren’t doing much to help, he decides to start his own investigation, retrace Emory’s last steps, and try to find out what happened to her. As he checks some of the places she might have been recently—the convenience store where she worked, her apartment—he begins to realize that Emory may have gotten herself involved in something very dangerous. Jayce is starting to see weird stuff around him—two teenagers with long sharp teeth who are eating a dog, for one—and the more he delves into Emory’s life, the stranger things become. Jayce is also starting to remember horrific events from his past that he’s suppressed over the years because they are so disturbing.
It turns out that Jayce has “the Eye,” the ability to see into a hidden world called Shadow, where Shadowers, as they’re called, tamper with the forces of darkness and live out their sexual fantasies without fear of judgement. Now that Jayce’s memories are returning, he’s even more frightened that Emory may have become tangled up with the denizens of Shadow. And he should be scared. When he meets a woman named Nicola who agrees to help him find Emory, Jayce is thrust into a world that he might not be ready for.
One of my favorite things that Waggoner did with his story was to include flashbacks, describing some of the weird things Jayce saw in Shadow as a child. There’s also a key event that happens early on that seems to have been the catalyst for all his experiences. The kicker, however, is that once Jayce sees something strange, he promptly forgets about it, burying it in his subconscious, to be dredged out much later. So he lives a fairly normal life, or at least he thinks he does, until he goes searching for Emory and those memories start flooding back in. But the closer he gets to finding his daughter, the more worried he becomes. Because clearly she was into some weird shit, and if he wants to find her, he’s going to have to face the fact that Emory might not be “daddy’s perfect little daughter” anymore.
The other cool thing I enjoyed was that Jayce is constantly having conversations in his head with his absent mother Valerie. He thinks he’s going crazy, especially when this “voice” tries to offer advice, but he’s been hearing her for so long that it actually seems normal to him. But Valerie’s voice is far from motherly, bordering on a verbally abusive, tough love sort of mothering style, but I thought this device added an extra layer to the story.
There is a bit of a “squick” factor in this story, so be warned if graphic sex scenes bother you. I’m not usually bothered by such scenes, but Waggoner takes them one step further by giving us a couple of rather uncomfortable father-daughter scenarios. One of the things that Jayce discovers about Emory as he’s investigating her life is that she has a proclivity for unusual sex. Imagine you’re a father and you come home early from work one day, only to find your daughter in the basement in the grips of a monster from hell. Except she’s enjoying herself. This is just one scene that made me want to cover my eyes, and not in a Michael-Myers-is-about-to-kill-someone way. And remember I mentioned that Jayce’s mother Valerie “talks” to him in his head? Well, there is also a scene in a sex shop where that comes into play and it was a bit much for me, let’s just say.
Up until the last quarter of the book, I was going to rate this a little higher, but the story takes a sharp turn into bizzaro, metaphysical territory at about the 75% mark and it sort of went off the rails for me. You may be wondering if Jayce ever finds his daughter, but it would spoil things if I told you. What I can say is that the Jayce I came to sympathize with becomes something else entirely by the end of the story. Waggoner does answer a lot of questions, like who is the Harvest Man? And what does he have to do with Jayce? And why the heck does Jayce keep hearing his mother’s voice in his head? The answers were not what I was expecting, and I guess that’s a good thing, since I appreciate authors who can deliver the unexpected.
Horror fans are going to love this book, so if you haven’t read it yet, I highly recommend finding yourself a copy soon. Not for the squeamish, The Mouth of the Dark is nonetheless a book that readers will be talking about a lot .
Big thanks to the publisher for supplying a review copy.This review originally appeared on Books, Bones & Buffy
The launch of small publisher Flame Tree Press caught my attention last month when they were blasted all over the internet—good marketing, guys!—and I was curious enough to head over to NetGalley and request one of their titles. And I have to say I’m pretty impressed. The Mouth of the Dark is very well written and I blew through it in a couple of days. Waggoner’s story has an urban fantasy vibe at first, but it quickly turns to horror. (Is there such a genre as urban horror? If so, I’m calling it!) This story was strange , and if you read the reviews on Goodreads you’ll see that word (along with “weird”) pop up over and over again. But I have a thing for stories that don’t fit the norm, which is probably why “strange” doesn't really bother me.
Jayce Lewis’ daughter Emory has been missing for over three weeks, and even though she’s twenty years old and Jayce doesn’t see her that often, he knows something is wrong when she doesn’t return his calls. Since the police aren’t doing much to help, he decides to start his own investigation, retrace Emory’s last steps, and try to find out what happened to her. As he checks some of the places she might have been recently—the convenience store where she worked, her apartment—he begins to realize that Emory may have gotten herself involved in something very dangerous. Jayce is starting to see weird stuff around him—two teenagers with long sharp teeth who are eating a dog, for one—and the more he delves into Emory’s life, the stranger things become. Jayce is also starting to remember horrific events from his past that he’s suppressed over the years because they are so disturbing.
It turns out that Jayce has “the Eye,” the ability to see into a hidden world called Shadow, where Shadowers, as they’re called, tamper with the forces of darkness and live out their sexual fantasies without fear of judgement. Now that Jayce’s memories are returning, he’s even more frightened that Emory may have become tangled up with the denizens of Shadow. And he should be scared. When he meets a woman named Nicola who agrees to help him find Emory, Jayce is thrust into a world that he might not be ready for.
One of my favorite things that Waggoner did with his story was to include flashbacks, describing some of the weird things Jayce saw in Shadow as a child. There’s also a key event that happens early on that seems to have been the catalyst for all his experiences. The kicker, however, is that once Jayce sees something strange, he promptly forgets about it, burying it in his subconscious, to be dredged out much later. So he lives a fairly normal life, or at least he thinks he does, until he goes searching for Emory and those memories start flooding back in. But the closer he gets to finding his daughter, the more worried he becomes. Because clearly she was into some weird shit, and if he wants to find her, he’s going to have to face the fact that Emory might not be “daddy’s perfect little daughter” anymore.
The other cool thing I enjoyed was that Jayce is constantly having conversations in his head with his absent mother Valerie. He thinks he’s going crazy, especially when this “voice” tries to offer advice, but he’s been hearing her for so long that it actually seems normal to him. But Valerie’s voice is far from motherly, bordering on a verbally abusive, tough love sort of mothering style, but I thought this device added an extra layer to the story.
There is a bit of a “squick” factor in this story, so be warned if graphic sex scenes bother you. I’m not usually bothered by such scenes, but Waggoner takes them one step further by giving us a couple of rather uncomfortable father-daughter scenarios. One of the things that Jayce discovers about Emory as he’s investigating her life is that she has a proclivity for unusual sex. Imagine you’re a father and you come home early from work one day, only to find your daughter in the basement in the grips of a monster from hell. Except she’s enjoying herself. This is just one scene that made me want to cover my eyes, and not in a Michael-Myers-is-about-to-kill-someone way. And remember I mentioned that Jayce’s mother Valerie “talks” to him in his head? Well, there is also a scene in a sex shop where that comes into play and it was a bit much for me, let’s just say.
Up until the last quarter of the book, I was going to rate this a little higher, but the story takes a sharp turn into bizzaro, metaphysical territory at about the 75% mark and it sort of went off the rails for me. You may be wondering if Jayce ever finds his daughter, but it would spoil things if I told you. What I can say is that the Jayce I came to sympathize with becomes something else entirely by the end of the story. Waggoner does answer a lot of questions, like who is the Harvest Man? And what does he have to do with Jayce? And why the heck does Jayce keep hearing his mother’s voice in his head? The answers were not what I was expecting, and I guess that’s a good thing, since I appreciate authors who can deliver the unexpected.
Horror fans are going to love this book, so if you haven’t read it yet, I highly recommend finding yourself a copy soon. Not for the squeamish, The Mouth of the Dark is nonetheless a book that readers will be talking about a lot .
Big thanks to the publisher for supplying a review copy.This review originally appeared on Books, Bones & Buffy
July 28, 2018
Review Copy
Stop right here. If you're into horror, you'll want to buy this book now. Here's why.
I've always liked Tim Waggoner's writing, but THE MOUTH OF THE DARK exceeded all of my expectations and is one of my favorite books of the year. I'm trying to figure out where it places in my all time favorites. I'll work on that. I know it's very high up there.
This is a horrifying tale of a father's love for his missing adult daughter. The occult elements are downright terrifying and heartstopping. The horror is nonstop for two-thirds of the novel before Waggoner releases you from his grip for some welcome comic relief, then some graphic sexual scenes.
The ending left no stone unturned and was completely satisfying for this reader.
My only complaint was that I couldn't read it in one sitting (damn life and its interfering!) so my suggestion to you is carve out a few hours of "me" time and most imortant of all shut the world out and find a quiet place to curl up and actually be scared again by a true master of horror.
Need I say highly recommended?
Stop right here. If you're into horror, you'll want to buy this book now. Here's why.
I've always liked Tim Waggoner's writing, but THE MOUTH OF THE DARK exceeded all of my expectations and is one of my favorite books of the year. I'm trying to figure out where it places in my all time favorites. I'll work on that. I know it's very high up there.
This is a horrifying tale of a father's love for his missing adult daughter. The occult elements are downright terrifying and heartstopping. The horror is nonstop for two-thirds of the novel before Waggoner releases you from his grip for some welcome comic relief, then some graphic sexual scenes.
The ending left no stone unturned and was completely satisfying for this reader.
My only complaint was that I couldn't read it in one sitting (damn life and its interfering!) so my suggestion to you is carve out a few hours of "me" time and most imortant of all shut the world out and find a quiet place to curl up and actually be scared again by a true master of horror.
Need I say highly recommended?
January 7, 2021
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“The Mouth of the Dark” is a gripping horror novel that will grab your attention and not let go.
The first thing which I loved about this story is Jayce. Jayce should win the award for the best dad of all time! He would go to any lengths to save this daughter, Emory, by literally plunging into the darkness. The author wonderfully wrote his character, and I was rooting for him throughout the story.
Similarly, the author also wrote Jayce’s relationship with Nicola in a beautiful manner. They share a wonderful camaraderie, have many steamy moments, and have a bittersweet relationship. Moreover, the mystery of the Harvest Man also intrigued me, and I wanted to know what happened in Jayce’s childhood. On a side note, I even chuckled at some of the messages that Valerie impacts to Jayce. Valerie is a unique character because she plays a prominent part, even if she does not appear physically throughout the story. Even the Ohio Pig made me laugh with his crass behavior.
However, some of the scenes are very graphic. While this would have turned me off to reading the story, I thought it fitted very well into this book’s theme. It is, after all, a book about darkness and shadows and things that scare you. Furthermore, the author had me glued to the pages with the concept of the “underborn” and the duplicates. This book was just fascinating. Also, the ending is one that I did not see coming. The climax is simply amazing as the team tries to defeat Ivory.
Overall, I enjoyed reading “The Mouth of the Dark” and look forward to reading the author’s other novels.
August 27, 2018
Fast-paced and a bit on the quirky side, The Mouth of the Dark is another great, new release from the folks at Flame Tree Press who are proving quite rapidly they are in the business to bring game to the genre. And bring it, they do.
While not a great fan of "creature-type" fantasy/horror, I got over that a few chapters into the book and it developed into quite the page-turner.
The story is simple enough; Jayce's daughter has gone missing and he heads toward the seedy part of town to post some flyers and ask a few questions. From there, he's introduced to more strange people than you can count and also encounters a sort of parallel universe that exists with ours called "Shadow." Shadow can only be seen and experienced by a select few And Shadow is seriously fucked-up in every degradation imaginable. Think "Labyrinth" meets "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" with a side order of "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" and "Thunderdome" for dessert.
Tim Waggoner manages to pull this off deftly and impressively while giving slight clues and promises of the climax to come when the book hits its high note.
Characters are interesting, if a bit under-developed, but that's understandable given the book takes place in a short time span (a few days from what I could gather, but I wasn't reading for that so it didn't really register until I'd finished). One character in particular, a dude named "Ohio Pig" is most intense and enjoyable in a perverse sort of way.
Dialogue is a bit elongated in places but isn't overly done or melodramatic. Considering the circumstances Jayce finds himself in, it could have gone either way, but Waggoner manages to reel it in to fit the occasions.
The "ah-ha!" moment was slightly "not-ah-ha!" given the reader gets a fairly obvious precursor to it, but even with that, it wasn't one of those, "I saw that coming a mile away" type of things.
The one thing that bothered me about this book was the lack of explanation for the appearance and behavior of the bizarre assortment of creatures occupying Shadow. They were well-described, but their motives were never clear--you'll see what I mean the first time you meet the guy with the green rubber gloves.
Overall, The Mouth of the Dark was an enjoyable trip into the land of disbelief suspension and certainly worth a read.
While not a great fan of "creature-type" fantasy/horror, I got over that a few chapters into the book and it developed into quite the page-turner.
The story is simple enough; Jayce's daughter has gone missing and he heads toward the seedy part of town to post some flyers and ask a few questions. From there, he's introduced to more strange people than you can count and also encounters a sort of parallel universe that exists with ours called "Shadow." Shadow can only be seen and experienced by a select few And Shadow is seriously fucked-up in every degradation imaginable. Think "Labyrinth" meets "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" with a side order of "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" and "Thunderdome" for dessert.
Tim Waggoner manages to pull this off deftly and impressively while giving slight clues and promises of the climax to come when the book hits its high note.
Characters are interesting, if a bit under-developed, but that's understandable given the book takes place in a short time span (a few days from what I could gather, but I wasn't reading for that so it didn't really register until I'd finished). One character in particular, a dude named "Ohio Pig" is most intense and enjoyable in a perverse sort of way.
Dialogue is a bit elongated in places but isn't overly done or melodramatic. Considering the circumstances Jayce finds himself in, it could have gone either way, but Waggoner manages to reel it in to fit the occasions.
The "ah-ha!" moment was slightly "not-ah-ha!" given the reader gets a fairly obvious precursor to it, but even with that, it wasn't one of those, "I saw that coming a mile away" type of things.
The one thing that bothered me about this book was the lack of explanation for the appearance and behavior of the bizarre assortment of creatures occupying Shadow. They were well-described, but their motives were never clear--you'll see what I mean the first time you meet the guy with the green rubber gloves.
Overall, The Mouth of the Dark was an enjoyable trip into the land of disbelief suspension and certainly worth a read.
February 7, 2021
I picked Tim Waggoner's The Mouth of the Dark randomly from my wishlist on Hoopla and, as usual, jumped in knowing nothing about it other than the title.
This was my first foray into the bizarro horror genre and I have to say, I actually kinda liked it. I love all things weird and absurd, so I appreciated a lot of this book. However, most of the bizarre things in this book are way over-sexualized and I just didn't like it. I don't find sexual horror interesting or even entertaining as it tends to be used only for shock value. But imho, nothing here was shocking or new or interesting, so it really just bored me to tears.
My biggest problem with this book was the overuse of sex and "shocking" sexual imagery. I was also extremely bothered by how much of the protagonist's mental real estate was occupied by thoughts of his daughter's sex life. Gross.
But I'm getting ahead of myself.
A bit about the plot: The Mouth of the Dark is basically Alice in Wonderland, except that she is a he and he is a grown man instead of a little girl. His name is Jayce and his estranged daughter is missing, so he sets forth on a journey to find her. While questing for his missing daughter, and instead of falling in a hole to Wonderland, Jayce stumbles upon an alternate realm called Shadow that is basically a dark, sleazy sex-land with magic and pigs and tentacles and violent dildos.
And all this might sounds cool, and maybe it would have been, but none of it was particularly interesting, unique, or even memorable to me... well, except for Jayce's obsession with is daughter's sex life.
There's a scene pretty early on in the book where Jayce goes to his daughter's apartment to see if he can find any clues. While there, he looks at her bed and starts thinking about how she has brought people home to fuck in that bed and how she has masturbated there. If there are fathers out there thinking things like this, than ya'll need to go to church or bleach your brain or something cause THAT'S NASTY. And to make it even more gross, Jayce's daughter has some kind of magic dildo called The Pink Devil that, and I'm not kidding, RAPES HIM. Like, tf?
I wouldn't have been bothered by any of this really, but I just couldn't get over how obsessed this father seemed with his daughter's sex life. Because the scene where he gets raped by her dildo isn't the last of it.
The male gaze in this book was obnoxious and gross. Jayce is presented as basically a nice-guy, our hero, but I just can't get behind a hero who objectifies women, including his daughter, and can't control his sexual urges.
There's also a stupid, boring, unnecessary romance of sorts in this book. Some chick starts helping Jayce. Might have been his ex-wife, I don't remember and I don't care to look it up. But of course they have to bang it out because why not? It's not like someone's kid is missing and time is of the essence... Oh, wait. That's exactly what is going on. So why are we wasting time having sex?? Because this is SHOCKING and EXTREME? Oh, get over yourself and quit wasting my time.
I honestly don't really remember much from this book except that there was some evil pig character chasing our lustful duo around and that the end was unsatisfying and lame.
I wish this book had focused more on blood and gore and PLOT than it did on sex and "shocking" imagery. I think I would have liked it a lot more.
I rated Tim Waggoner's The Mouth of the Dark 3 out of 5 stars. When I finished it, I was considering a 3.25 or maybe even a 3.5, but the fact that it was so forgettable I don't remember any details that didn't include a father's salacious thoughts about his daughter after only 3 weeks made me lower my rating.
You might like this if you like: sexual horror and descents into madness.
This was my first foray into the bizarro horror genre and I have to say, I actually kinda liked it. I love all things weird and absurd, so I appreciated a lot of this book. However, most of the bizarre things in this book are way over-sexualized and I just didn't like it. I don't find sexual horror interesting or even entertaining as it tends to be used only for shock value. But imho, nothing here was shocking or new or interesting, so it really just bored me to tears.
My biggest problem with this book was the overuse of sex and "shocking" sexual imagery. I was also extremely bothered by how much of the protagonist's mental real estate was occupied by thoughts of his daughter's sex life. Gross.
But I'm getting ahead of myself.
A bit about the plot: The Mouth of the Dark is basically Alice in Wonderland, except that she is a he and he is a grown man instead of a little girl. His name is Jayce and his estranged daughter is missing, so he sets forth on a journey to find her. While questing for his missing daughter, and instead of falling in a hole to Wonderland, Jayce stumbles upon an alternate realm called Shadow that is basically a dark, sleazy sex-land with magic and pigs and tentacles and violent dildos.
And all this might sounds cool, and maybe it would have been, but none of it was particularly interesting, unique, or even memorable to me... well, except for Jayce's obsession with is daughter's sex life.
There's a scene pretty early on in the book where Jayce goes to his daughter's apartment to see if he can find any clues. While there, he looks at her bed and starts thinking about how she has brought people home to fuck in that bed and how she has masturbated there. If there are fathers out there thinking things like this, than ya'll need to go to church or bleach your brain or something cause THAT'S NASTY. And to make it even more gross, Jayce's daughter has some kind of magic dildo called The Pink Devil that, and I'm not kidding, RAPES HIM. Like, tf?
I wouldn't have been bothered by any of this really, but I just couldn't get over how obsessed this father seemed with his daughter's sex life. Because the scene where he gets raped by her dildo isn't the last of it.
The male gaze in this book was obnoxious and gross. Jayce is presented as basically a nice-guy, our hero, but I just can't get behind a hero who objectifies women, including his daughter, and can't control his sexual urges.
There's also a stupid, boring, unnecessary romance of sorts in this book. Some chick starts helping Jayce. Might have been his ex-wife, I don't remember and I don't care to look it up. But of course they have to bang it out because why not? It's not like someone's kid is missing and time is of the essence... Oh, wait. That's exactly what is going on. So why are we wasting time having sex?? Because this is SHOCKING and EXTREME? Oh, get over yourself and quit wasting my time.
I honestly don't really remember much from this book except that there was some evil pig character chasing our lustful duo around and that the end was unsatisfying and lame.
I wish this book had focused more on blood and gore and PLOT than it did on sex and "shocking" imagery. I think I would have liked it a lot more.
I rated Tim Waggoner's The Mouth of the Dark 3 out of 5 stars. When I finished it, I was considering a 3.25 or maybe even a 3.5, but the fact that it was so forgettable I don't remember any details that didn't include a father's salacious thoughts about his daughter after only 3 weeks made me lower my rating.
You might like this if you like: sexual horror and descents into madness.
September 5, 2018
**Thank you to NetGalley and Flame Tree Press for a free e-copy of The Mouth of the Dark in exchange for an honest review.**
Woah. Okay y'all, if you love horror but feel like reading something totally unique and weird as hell, this is your next read. It's graphic and has some sexual scenes that will make you super uncomfortable. You know, like when you're reading in public and look around to see if people can tell you're reading something so messed up? You will do that multiple times reading The Mouth of the Dark.
But underneath all the bizarre, WTF moments, there's the story of Jayce, a father searching for his missing young adult daughter Emory. His search for her leads him into the Shadow, an alternate world where all things dark and disgusting dwell. No matter how much depravity he sees he continues deeper into the Shadow. He will do anything to find Emory. And what he discovers isn't just that he didn't know his daughter, but that he still doesn't know himself.
This book might not be for everyone, but if you want a good horror story that's unique and bizarre, you need to read this one for sure.
Woah. Okay y'all, if you love horror but feel like reading something totally unique and weird as hell, this is your next read. It's graphic and has some sexual scenes that will make you super uncomfortable. You know, like when you're reading in public and look around to see if people can tell you're reading something so messed up? You will do that multiple times reading The Mouth of the Dark.
But underneath all the bizarre, WTF moments, there's the story of Jayce, a father searching for his missing young adult daughter Emory. His search for her leads him into the Shadow, an alternate world where all things dark and disgusting dwell. No matter how much depravity he sees he continues deeper into the Shadow. He will do anything to find Emory. And what he discovers isn't just that he didn't know his daughter, but that he still doesn't know himself.
This book might not be for everyone, but if you want a good horror story that's unique and bizarre, you need to read this one for sure.
November 22, 2023
The Mouth in the Dark starts with a middle-aged man, Jayce, searching for his recently missing daughter, Emory. In his investigations he quickly meets a mysterious woman named Nicola who shows him a world hidden within the normal world, whose existence as well as those who see it and live amongst it are known as Shadow. And within Shadow is a being who terrifies even those within Shadow known as the Harvest Man.
The writing in the novel was quite solid, but the story ventured more into dark/urban fantasy than I usually read. It was almost like a more perverse version of a Neil Gaiman tale. 3.5/5*
The writing in the novel was quite solid, but the story ventured more into dark/urban fantasy than I usually read. It was almost like a more perverse version of a Neil Gaiman tale. 3.5/5*
August 28, 2018
This book is really awesome. It features a man searching for his daughter in a dangerous realm next to ours called Shadow where all sorts of creepy things live. This is a great mix of urban fantasy, horror, and bizzaro fiction. I highly recommend it.
May 19, 2020
Weird and twisted read, not at all what I was expecting. Great imagery and gnarly action. I'd definitle read more from Waggoner,
September 5, 2018
This book was seriously weird!! Right from the start I was constantly going, what the heck is going on, and it didn't let up. It's not a bad weird, it's just a seriously out there weird!! There were times when I wanted to put this aside because I wasn't enjoying it enough, but it was also strangely compelling and I had to keep reading to see what happens and to see if it finally came together at the end.
In all honesty, I'm still not sure if I enjoyed this or not. The plot of the dad trying to find his daughter and being introduced to the Shadow world was good, and I liked Jayce enough, it was just the everything else that I found hard to like. There is plenty of weird parts, plenty of ick parts and plenty of times I was lost, but it was still an ok read, though I do recommend caution as it's pretty dark.
In all honesty, I'm still not sure if I enjoyed this or not. The plot of the dad trying to find his daughter and being introduced to the Shadow world was good, and I liked Jayce enough, it was just the everything else that I found hard to like. There is plenty of weird parts, plenty of ick parts and plenty of times I was lost, but it was still an ok read, though I do recommend caution as it's pretty dark.
September 24, 2018
Truly bizarre, dark and twisted, a lot like Barker’s CABAL, but with bucketloads of extra WTFness. Recommended.
April 20, 2020
4 AND 1/2 STARS
I've been reading Tim Waggoner for years and he always manages to produce amazing work. The Mouth of the Dark is no exception. Brutal and sometimes shocking, the narrative takes the reader into unique and mind-bending territory. What appears to be the simple premise of a father in search of his missing daughter turns out to be anything but. Waggoner writes to the beat of his own drum and his smooth prose and unpredictable twists will have you in adult horror heaven. If this were a movie, it would easily be stamped with an NC-17 rating. Not for the squeamish or prude, this is truly what original, provocative horror is all about. Enter at your own risk. Loved it!
I've been reading Tim Waggoner for years and he always manages to produce amazing work. The Mouth of the Dark is no exception. Brutal and sometimes shocking, the narrative takes the reader into unique and mind-bending territory. What appears to be the simple premise of a father in search of his missing daughter turns out to be anything but. Waggoner writes to the beat of his own drum and his smooth prose and unpredictable twists will have you in adult horror heaven. If this were a movie, it would easily be stamped with an NC-17 rating. Not for the squeamish or prude, this is truly what original, provocative horror is all about. Enter at your own risk. Loved it!
August 21, 2018
This is the third Flame Tree Press ARC I've read, and it's just as impressive as the first two. I'm loving how awesome and different every horror title has been so far.
Jayce Lewis is a simple man with a complicated past, but right now all he cares about is finding his 20-year-old daughter. Emory is missing and although Jayce's ex doesn't seem very concerned, he decides to print up some flyers and hits the street.
The only problem is that from the moment he steps into CrazyQwik--where Emory worked--his whole life is turned upside down.
His daughter seems to have stumbled into a shadowy world only a select few can actually see. And while searching for her, Jayce starts noticing macabre images and meets a bunch of very peculiar people.
Now that Jayce has opened his eyes to a new and very dangerous reality, he also manages to open his mind wide enough for a bunch of hidden memories to resurface.
Although the danger he's facing is very real, he might turn out to be the biggest threat of them all...
Wow. What a trip through Shadow!
This book gripped me from the Prologue and refused to let go. I was instantly captivated by Jayce's voice and dragged into Shadow as quickly as he was.
The level of wicked weird in this narrative is totally amazing, off the charts. I'm not squeamish, so I found myself getting caught up in everything that was going on even when it bordered on the odd and uncomfortable.
There are a few gross scenes featuring the missing Emory, the kind of stuff parents should never see or know, but it's all essential to the core of the story and Jayce's final destination.
Told mostly in Jayce's POV, there are several scenes featuring other characters. Plus there are a bunch of flashback chapters that complement the events of the present. They blew me away, especially one of the later ones which reveals a vital piece of the puzzle.
This is such a clever story.
As for the characters, I really liked Jayce. He was such an honest guy with the best of intentions, even though everything goes askew. I also thought Nicola was just the right amount of helpful and mysterious, a pretty good guide. And I was totally intrigued by the Harvest Man. Oh, and the Ohio Pig was hilarious. Creepy, but funny.
The only character I didn't completely warm to was Emory. She just seemed so bratty and distant, which is probably why she got caught up in this mess in the first place.
The Mouth of the Dark is a unique horror story with an intriguing mystery at its core. It's full of wicked imagery, outlandish creatures, depraved desires and vivid situations that have you seeing odd stuff from the corner of your eye.
It's original and isn't shy about delving into weird. It's not afraid to explore the sexually depraved. It's a highly imaginative exploration of self-discovery. And delves into the lengths a father is willing to go to in order to find his child.
Asides from everything else, I had a LOT of fun spending time with this colourful cast of characters and monsters. And the cover is so creepy cool.
It's also a story that will stay with me for a while. I loved every single seedy detail. 😄
I'm enjoying these ARCs so bloody much. I need to read more!
Jayce Lewis is a simple man with a complicated past, but right now all he cares about is finding his 20-year-old daughter. Emory is missing and although Jayce's ex doesn't seem very concerned, he decides to print up some flyers and hits the street.
The only problem is that from the moment he steps into CrazyQwik--where Emory worked--his whole life is turned upside down.
His daughter seems to have stumbled into a shadowy world only a select few can actually see. And while searching for her, Jayce starts noticing macabre images and meets a bunch of very peculiar people.
Now that Jayce has opened his eyes to a new and very dangerous reality, he also manages to open his mind wide enough for a bunch of hidden memories to resurface.
Although the danger he's facing is very real, he might turn out to be the biggest threat of them all...
Wow. What a trip through Shadow!
This book gripped me from the Prologue and refused to let go. I was instantly captivated by Jayce's voice and dragged into Shadow as quickly as he was.
The level of wicked weird in this narrative is totally amazing, off the charts. I'm not squeamish, so I found myself getting caught up in everything that was going on even when it bordered on the odd and uncomfortable.
There are a few gross scenes featuring the missing Emory, the kind of stuff parents should never see or know, but it's all essential to the core of the story and Jayce's final destination.
Told mostly in Jayce's POV, there are several scenes featuring other characters. Plus there are a bunch of flashback chapters that complement the events of the present. They blew me away, especially one of the later ones which reveals a vital piece of the puzzle.
This is such a clever story.
As for the characters, I really liked Jayce. He was such an honest guy with the best of intentions, even though everything goes askew. I also thought Nicola was just the right amount of helpful and mysterious, a pretty good guide. And I was totally intrigued by the Harvest Man. Oh, and the Ohio Pig was hilarious. Creepy, but funny.
The only character I didn't completely warm to was Emory. She just seemed so bratty and distant, which is probably why she got caught up in this mess in the first place.
The Mouth of the Dark is a unique horror story with an intriguing mystery at its core. It's full of wicked imagery, outlandish creatures, depraved desires and vivid situations that have you seeing odd stuff from the corner of your eye.
It's original and isn't shy about delving into weird. It's not afraid to explore the sexually depraved. It's a highly imaginative exploration of self-discovery. And delves into the lengths a father is willing to go to in order to find his child.
Asides from everything else, I had a LOT of fun spending time with this colourful cast of characters and monsters. And the cover is so creepy cool.
It's also a story that will stay with me for a while. I loved every single seedy detail. 😄
I'm enjoying these ARCs so bloody much. I need to read more!
September 3, 2018
Here is a horror offering for those interested in weirdness that can go over the top and the intrigue of hidden worlds beneath our own.
At it's core, this is a story of a father searching for his daughter and discovering a truth about his past that he's kept repressed.
For me, the narrative didn't keep me fully involved the way I expect a great story to. I found myself wandering off, thinking about other things; I wasn't invested in Jayce's narration and I found him to be a bit unrealistic.
For example, at the very beginning of the book, he is confronted with a strange and dangerous situation that should have been (1) downright terrifying and (2) extremely confusing to someone (like Jayce) who didn't have any knowledge of this other world. Instead, he brushes it off fairly easily. Later on, he accepts what is going on with almost no questioning.
Personally, I found it difficult to suspend disbelief about what was going on and I thought Jayce should have struggled with it more. It could have just been my mindset while reading, but the book never really picked up speed for me.
I don't tend to be too squeamish, but I found the strange sex scenes a bit off-putting. Jayce's sudden romance with one of the other characters struck me as so unlikely I found it almost absurd, and it seemed like it was only in the story for their weird amorous encounter that occurs at a really unfortunate and unpropitious time. I just want relationships in books to serve a purpose, not to be there just for a sex scene.
I think there is a certain type of horror reader that will really enjoy this book. Personally, I want something that I connect with more, characters that feel real, worlds that I can almost touch, not just weirdness and grossness. While this was a quick read, it just didn't check all the horror boxes for me.
My thanks to Flame Tree Press for sending me an advance copy of this book.
At it's core, this is a story of a father searching for his daughter and discovering a truth about his past that he's kept repressed.
For me, the narrative didn't keep me fully involved the way I expect a great story to. I found myself wandering off, thinking about other things; I wasn't invested in Jayce's narration and I found him to be a bit unrealistic.
For example, at the very beginning of the book, he is confronted with a strange and dangerous situation that should have been (1) downright terrifying and (2) extremely confusing to someone (like Jayce) who didn't have any knowledge of this other world. Instead, he brushes it off fairly easily. Later on, he accepts what is going on with almost no questioning.
Personally, I found it difficult to suspend disbelief about what was going on and I thought Jayce should have struggled with it more. It could have just been my mindset while reading, but the book never really picked up speed for me.
I don't tend to be too squeamish, but I found the strange sex scenes a bit off-putting. Jayce's sudden romance with one of the other characters struck me as so unlikely I found it almost absurd, and it seemed like it was only in the story for their weird amorous encounter that occurs at a really unfortunate and unpropitious time. I just want relationships in books to serve a purpose, not to be there just for a sex scene.
I think there is a certain type of horror reader that will really enjoy this book. Personally, I want something that I connect with more, characters that feel real, worlds that I can almost touch, not just weirdness and grossness. While this was a quick read, it just didn't check all the horror boxes for me.
My thanks to Flame Tree Press for sending me an advance copy of this book.
August 23, 2018
So it seems this author has been around for a while and written a lot of books for like Supernaturals, Resident Evil and Kingsmen! Yet, I have never heard of him till I decide to try this book and I don't know how his other books are but this is the weirdest, strangest, weirdest book I ever read. Not sure if this was the best book to start out with for this author but I must admit I am curious about reading more from him...lol.
It's about a father looking for his twenty-year old daughter who has been missing for a few weeks. The place he lives in has a shadow world that only a few people can see and it gave off a Total Recall type vibe to me. Jayce goes to where he thought Emery was working and the guy said he had never seen her before, but while Jayce is there he starts noticing some strange things.
Then outside by an alley he hears some weird sounds and runs into some "dog-eaters" some strange teenagers with sharp teeth and a nasty smell (maybe I should have turned away at this point), a strange woman Nicola helps him out of that situation and he goes on trying to find Emery but keeps seeing strange things going on so decides to follow Nicola.
Jayce goes to his daughters appointment looking for clues when he has thoughts about things there he just shouldn't. Then he finds something under her bed and (this is where I should have quit!) finds an object and while looking at it some tentacles come out and start choking him while other go below the belt! Yes, it's a sex toy that could kill you! The shadow world things are messed up!
Nicola ends up helping Jayce look for his daughter but in doing so she takes him to places he didn't know existed and finds out he has this shadow site which is why he sees strange things. While we have all these strange things going on there is also a man called The Harvest Man, who breathes out black dust and then breaths it in and you turn to dust.
Once Jayce goes to this one bar and meets some strange people the book picks up and he starts remembering things from when he was younger than tie into the ending which I kind of guessed it was going to go that way. I can't say that the weird went away as it didn't it was pretty strange through the whole thing and the ending was just okay.
It was plain curiosity that kept me going with this book because it had a lot of things I wasn't a huge fan of in it, wierd sex toys only being a part of it! I wasn't comfortable with the thoughts in Jayce's head about his adult daughter's sex life and I will leave it at that! There is that weird part of me though that kind of liked this book despite the parts I didn't like. It was really fast paced which we all know is what I love and so I finished it up in about a day and a half so it was quick.
I don't have a lot to say about the characters as I wasn't really a fan of any of them but if I had to pick one I liked more it would be Nicola, she was just plain weird but interesting. I didn't care much for the dad but overall I did root for him to find his way out of the mess he lands him and hoped he could find his daughter alive. It really is just a book about a dad trying to find his daughter and finding out more about himself but amped up on weirdness x 10. :)
It wasn't really scary but it was just plain weird and strange so if you like that kind of thing then I say go for it! :)
3.5 stars
It's about a father looking for his twenty-year old daughter who has been missing for a few weeks. The place he lives in has a shadow world that only a few people can see and it gave off a Total Recall type vibe to me. Jayce goes to where he thought Emery was working and the guy said he had never seen her before, but while Jayce is there he starts noticing some strange things.
Then outside by an alley he hears some weird sounds and runs into some "dog-eaters" some strange teenagers with sharp teeth and a nasty smell (maybe I should have turned away at this point), a strange woman Nicola helps him out of that situation and he goes on trying to find Emery but keeps seeing strange things going on so decides to follow Nicola.
Jayce goes to his daughters appointment looking for clues when he has thoughts about things there he just shouldn't. Then he finds something under her bed and (this is where I should have quit!) finds an object and while looking at it some tentacles come out and start choking him while other go below the belt! Yes, it's a sex toy that could kill you! The shadow world things are messed up!
Nicola ends up helping Jayce look for his daughter but in doing so she takes him to places he didn't know existed and finds out he has this shadow site which is why he sees strange things. While we have all these strange things going on there is also a man called The Harvest Man, who breathes out black dust and then breaths it in and you turn to dust.
Once Jayce goes to this one bar and meets some strange people the book picks up and he starts remembering things from when he was younger than tie into the ending which I kind of guessed it was going to go that way. I can't say that the weird went away as it didn't it was pretty strange through the whole thing and the ending was just okay.
It was plain curiosity that kept me going with this book because it had a lot of things I wasn't a huge fan of in it, wierd sex toys only being a part of it! I wasn't comfortable with the thoughts in Jayce's head about his adult daughter's sex life and I will leave it at that! There is that weird part of me though that kind of liked this book despite the parts I didn't like. It was really fast paced which we all know is what I love and so I finished it up in about a day and a half so it was quick.
I don't have a lot to say about the characters as I wasn't really a fan of any of them but if I had to pick one I liked more it would be Nicola, she was just plain weird but interesting. I didn't care much for the dad but overall I did root for him to find his way out of the mess he lands him and hoped he could find his daughter alive. It really is just a book about a dad trying to find his daughter and finding out more about himself but amped up on weirdness x 10. :)
It wasn't really scary but it was just plain weird and strange so if you like that kind of thing then I say go for it! :)
3.5 stars
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